Can Obesity Cause Dental Problems?

Obesity And Oral Health

The term obesity refers to an individual who has a huge mass of body fat. Obesity can also be classified as a chronic disease by the W.H.O. (World Health Organization), which is a worldwide public health problem.

Usually, one’s health risk is measured by BMI or “body mass index.” The prime causes of obesity include various aspects like biological, genetic, cultural, and behavioral factors.

However, various certain medical disorders can cause obesity. It is about less than 1 percent of all obesity that is caused due to several physical problems.

Obesity primarily occurs when the individual eats more calories than the body itself burns up.

Also, obesity can lead to several types of diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, stroke, and even gum disease as well. With that analogy, there is some correlation between obesity and dental health. As such, visiting the dentist in las vegas for your oral care needs could go a long way as far as overall health.

Can Dental Issues Cause Weight Gain?

Moreover, obesity can also increase the risk for gum diseases.

A diet that is mainly high in calories and fat, including large quantities of sugar or processed foods, and a paucity of physical activities, leads to obesity.

These same foods can harm and even cause several oral health problems, including gum disease, bad breath, and premature tooth loss.

Also, poor diets may result in a scarcity of various essential nutrients, potentially making it more difficult for the entire body to fight off an infection in the mouth.

It has been found that among the obese Americans who are aged 18–34, the gum disease was approximately 76 percent more common than comparison to the normal weight individuals in that same age group.

The numbers are continuously rising as 4 out of 10 Americans are already obese. Moreover, within this same age group, 10 percent are severely obese. 

Also, as per the scientists, people who are obese have a greater chance of developing various severe medical conditions.

Some of these diseases also can even put these obese people at risk for developing several dental problems.

Medical professionals refer to obesity as a body mass index (BMI) of having equivalent to 30 or higher. Severe obesity is mainly considered as a BMI of equal to 40 or above.

The BMI is primarily calculated by a person’s body fat percentage based on their weight and height. There are several causes regarding why people become obese.

It’s usually caused by an overall combination of eating too many foods loaded with calories & carbohydrates and a sedentary lifestyle as well.

In some cases, the medications can even cause people to put on unhealthy weight. 

Rapid Weight Loss And Tooth Decay

According to the research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it has been observed that shows that obese people can develop various severe medical conditions involving sleep apnea, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, gallbladder, and arthritis disease.

Individuals who are obese tend to have inflammation in their bodies. The inflammation is highly associated with various medical and dental problems.

For example, people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at risk in terms of developing oral infections, dry mouth, and severe dental problems, like periodontal disease, also known as gum disease.

Often, obese people tend to eat foods that are rich in carbohydrates and sugar. The germs in the mouth can combine with these food particles and attack the enamel of the tooth.

In one study, it has been found out found that these obese people are 5.9 times more likely than in comparison to those of average weight to have severe gum disease.

Many foods can even cause the problem of tooth decay. All these imply that a poor diet leads to poor oral health conditions.